1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to the housing and building construction industry, and more specifically relates to the tools used in building and forming the concrete foundation and walls of a building structure. The invention provides for a framing tool used to hold a brick of Styrofoam(copyright) 15 (commonly referred to in the industry as a Styrofoam(copyright) brick-back 15), which is used to frame up and form the concrete foundation and walls of a building structure. More specifically, the invention provides a holder comprising a rigid base bar 1 having a pin end 2 and a stabilizing end 3; the rigid stabilizing bar 4 having a base end 5 and an opposite end 6, with the base end 5 of the rigid stabilizing bar 4 being rigidly attached to the stabilizing end 3 of the rigid base bar 1, and extending perpendicular to the rigid base bar 1; two nails 7 and 10 each having a head end 8 and 11 and a pointed end 9 and 12, with the head end 8 and 11 of each nail 7 and 10 being rigidly attached to separate points along the rigid stabilizing bar 4, and with the pointed end 9 and 12 of each nail 7 and 10 being extended perpendicular to the rigid stabilizing bar 4 and parallel with the rigid base bar 1 and toward the perpendicular direction of the rigid base bar 1; and the rigid base bar 1 having a bore 13 through it in a direction parallel with the length of the rigid stabilizing bar 4.
The holder is used to hold a Styrofoam(copyright) form 15 in place against and in conjunction with a concrete form 16 having a frame and a face. The Styrofoam(copyright) form 15 is held against the face of the concrete form 16. More precisely, the holder is placed against the Styrofoam(copyright) form 15, with the rigid base bar 1 extending beyond the width of the Styrofoam(copyright) form 15, and the with the bore 13 lining up with a hole in the frame of the concrete form 16. A pin 14 is then inserted through the bore 13 and into the hole in the frame of the concrete form 16, thus holding the invention in place against the Styrofoam(copyright) form 15. Concrete may then be poured into a crevice created beside the Styrofoam(copyright) form 15.
The holder acts upon the Styrofoam(copyright) form 15 to keep it from floating up and moving out of position when concrete is poured beside it. That is, the holder keeps the Styrofoam(copyright) form 15 in place.
It should be noted that there are steel concrete forms 17 and aluminum concrete forms 18 in the construction industry. Again, both kinds of forms 17 and 18 are comprised of a frame and a face. The steel concrete forms 17 have a steel frame and a steel face. The aluminum concrete forms 18 have a steel frame and a plywood face. Also, the steel concrete forms 17 most commonly have rectangular holes in their frames, and the aluminum concrete forms 18 use circular holes in their frames. Consequently, in one embodiment of the invention, the bore 13 is circular. And in another embodiment of the invention, the bore 13 is rectangular, to coincide with the holes present in the steel or aluminum concrete forms 17 and 18 being used.
Currently, the industry most commonly uses glue to hold the Styrofoam(copyright) form 15 to the concrete form 16. The drawback of glue is that it is difficult to clean up, and often means throwing away the Styrofoam(copyright) form 15 after one or a few uses, and since the Styrofoam(copyright) form 15 can be surprisingly expensive, this presents an opportunity and advantage for the present invention.
Also, the industry may occasionally use a holder which does not have a stabilizing bar 4. The drawback of such a holder is that it does not hold the Styrofoam(copyright) form 15 horizontally. In other words, such a holder allows the Styrofoam(copyright) form 15 to float horizontally or perpendicularly from the face of the concrete form 16 until the concrete is poured in the crevice beside the Styrofoam(copyright) form 15. Such a holder and the corresponding process of using such a holder is awkward, difficult and presents an opportunity and advantage for the present invention.
2. Related Prior Art
The applicant is not aware of any prior art which discloses or teaches the unique features and combination of features of the current invention.
The invention discloses and teaches a holder comprising a rigid base bar 1 having a pin end 2 and a stabilizing end 3; the rigid stabilizing bar 4 having a base end 5 and an opposite end 6, with the base end 5 of the rigid stabilizing bar 4 being rigidly attached to the stabilizing end 3 of the rigid base bar 1, and extending perpendicular to the rigid base bar 1; two nails 7 and 10 each having a head end 8 and 11 and a pointed end 9 and 12, with the head end 8 and 11 of each nail 7 and 10 being rigidly attached to separate points along the rigid stabilizing bar 4, and with the pointed end 9 and 12 of each nail 7 and 10 being extended perpendicular to the rigid stabilizing bar 4 and parallel with the rigid base bar 1 and toward the perpendicular direction of the rigid base bar 1; and the rigid base bar 1 having a bore 13 through it in a direction parallel with the length of the rigid stabilizing bar 4.
Preferably, of the two nails 7 and 10, the head end 8 of the first nail 7 is rigidly attached to a point in the middle of the rigid stabilizing bar 4 and the pointed end 9 of the first nail 7 is extended perpendicular to the rigid stabilizing bar 4 and parallel with the rigid base bar 1 and toward the perpendicular direction of the rigid base bar 1. Also preferably, the head end 11 of the second nail 10 is rigidly attached to a point in the middle of the rigid stabilizing bar 4 and between the location of the head end 8 of the first nail 7 and the opposite end 6 of the rigid stabilizing bar 4, and the pointed end 12 of the second nail 10 is extended perpendicular to the rigid stabilizing bar 4 and parallel with the rigid base bar 1 and toward the perpendicular direction of the rigid base bar 1.
The invention""s feature of having two nails 7 and 10 rigidly fixed to the stabilizing bar 4 is novel. The invention""s feature of having a stabilizing bar 4 rigidly fixed perpendicularly to a base bar 1, with the two nails 7 and 10 rigidly fixed perpendicularly to the stabilizing bar 4, parallel to the base bar 1 and extending under the base bar 1 is novel. The invention""s feature of the location of the two nails 7 and 10 along the stabilizing bar 4 is novel. The invention""s feature of the size of, and resulting combination of the size and location of, the nails 7 and 10 along the stabilizing bar 4 is novel. In fact, the concept of the invention itself is novel in the industry.
It is, therefore, a primary object of the current invention to provide a holder having a rigid stabilizing bar 4 rigidly fixed perpendicularly to a rigid base bar 1 with two nails 7 and 10 rigidly fixed perpendicularly to the stabilizing bar 4 and extending perpendicularly to the rigid stabilizing bar 4 and parallel with the rigid base bar 1 and toward the perpendicular direction of the rigid base bar 1.
It is also a primary object of the current invention to provide a holder which saves the cost, nuisance and clean up of gluing the Styrofoam(copyright) form 15 to the face of the concrete form 16, by eliminating entirely the need for such gluing. The unique design of the current invention satisfies this object.
It is also a primary object of the current invention to provide two nails 7 and 10 as described herein rigidly fixed to the rigid stabilizing bar 4. It is also a primary object of the current invention to properly and precisely locate the two nails 7 and 10 along the length of the rigid stabilizing bar 4. It is also a primary object of the current invention to properly size and taper the two nails 7 and 10 for optimum advantage of the use of the holder. The unique design of the current invention satisfies these objects.
It is yet another primary object of the current invention to provide a brick-back holder which can be used singly, such that only one holder is used to hold the Styrofoam(copyright) form 15 in place against the face of the concrete form 16. The unique design of the current invention satisfies this object.
Another primary object of the current invention is to provide a brick-back holder which minimizes the number of holders which must be used to hold the Styrofoam(copyright) form 15 in place against the face of the concrete form 16. The unique design of the current invention satisfies this object.